Accurate hole location is critical to the attachment of the pieces or parts of an assembly during a manufacturing process. To achieve this objection, overlapping pieces are typically drilled while assembled to each other using a drill jig to ensure that the holes in each piece match to each other. However, burrs tend to develop around the drill holes that interfere with the mating of the pieces. These burrs are inaccessibly trapped in the interstices of the overlapping pieces while the pieces are assembled. Therefore, assembly of the overlapping pieces may require pre-assembly of the pieces, drilling of the holes into the parts, disassembly of the pieces, deburring of the drilled holes, the application of sealant between the pieces and reassembly of the pieces into a final configuration. Assembly, disassembly and reassembly are time consuming processes that slow production.
The formation of burrs can be reduced, or avoided, if sufficient pressure is applied to hold the pieces together during drilling. The drill jig is configured and temporarily fastened to the assembled parts by a fastener in a manner that imparts sufficient clamping force to the assembled pieces prior to drilling in order to reduce or eliminate formation of the burrs.
However, the same clamping force that reduces or eliminates burr formation is also applied to the drill jig, which may significantly deform or otherwise damage the drill jig, and also could compromise the fastening capability of the drill jig to the overlapping pieces leading to dislocation of the drill jig from the overlapping pieces. Also, when the drill jig is unfastened from the overlapping pieces and moved to another drilling area, such deformation of the drill jig may cause misalignment of the drill jig bushing and pilot hole axis for the fastener and also subsequent deviation of the drill vector for drilling the pilot hole through the overlapping pieces.